Submitted by Martha Stanley, Tallahassee, Florida

Idea posted November 18, 2004

Have you ever seen a pile of books that classroom teachers are giving away to whoever wants them? Or that the media specialist is discarding? Don't just automatically assume they are useless to you. You can get lots of ideas and good stuff if you look.

For example, my media specialist was throwing out books. I claimed a book on ears and sound, a couple of great picture books for Orffing, some story collections, and some other stuff that I can use or cut up.

A second grade teacher threw out a commercial workbook full of cool classroom activities. I leafed through it and realized that with adaptations, many of the activities could be wonderful for my kids.

So, I've created a couple of worksheets that I can pull out when I need a break or when I have a sub. They require little to no set up and are fun and appropriate. A couple of them require higher level thinking (categories), and I bet they'll be fun. I plan to work on all of these ideas and make a book out of them.

These ideas are just to get YOU started thinking. They are definitely not the only ways to use the original ideas. Many of these can be individual or team projects. Students can work against time, get points, etc.


All of these ideas came from ONE book that's not about music!


Examples:
Original Idea: complete-a-sentence story
New Music Idea: complete-a-tune activity
Original Idea: alphabet/vocabulary activity
New Music Idea: music alphabet/vocabulary idea
Original Idea: math paper on equations
New Music Idea: music note values activity
Original Idea: focus activity requiring students to stand up when they hear the teacher say one of the special words from the vocabulary board
New Music Idea: same type of activity, utilizing music words
Original Idea: matching a list of famous persons with their accomplishments
New Music Idea: matching a list of famous musicians (recent artists as well as classical composers) with their popular/famous works
Original Idea: activity requiring kids to answer questions about Mother Goose characters. Ex: Who jumped over the moon?
New Music Idea: same activity with no changes
Original Idea: equation search (similar to a word search)
New Music Idea: find a whole note, quarter-note, or dotted half-note in a row
Original Idea: workbook treasure hunt
New Music Idea: (from a music catalog) find five items that: have composers in them, are about music with the elderly, help keep a steady beat, help teach note values, etc.
Original Idea: activity asking students to make lists (i.e., 12 ways to use empty paper cups)
New Music Idea: list five different ways to create 8 beats of music using quarters, eighths and rests, and BAG pitches. Play on keyboard, recorder, and bars.
Original Idea: create as many words as you can from a longer word
New Music Idea: same idea, utiltizing music vocabulary
Original Idea: complete the famous saying (i.e., Too many cooks.....spoil the broth. Happy as.....a lark.)
New Music Idea: using the same idea, discuss the differences between simple and compound meter. These examples can also turn into composition starters.
Just a few ideas to help prompt some of your own.